Many parents have difficulty dealing with their teenage children. They blame themselves when their darling children suddenly change into “monsters”. Parents also expect their teenage children to continue to behave the way they did when they were age six! Too many parents are unaware that teenage is a necessary stage of development in which children begin to detach from their parents and learn to think and act independently. Children need to go through this phase to develop into independent adults capable of making their own way in the world. Parents need to recognize that their teenage children are “trainee adults” going through a very confusing in-between period between childhood and adulthood. As such, it is the parents who need to change the way they talk to and interact with their teenage children. Parents come and learn about adolescence how you can support your teenage children as they steer through this challenging stage of development.

Number of sessions: 6
Duration: 1 hour per session

Week 1:  Introduction and Overview

• Recalling Teenage Experiences
• Parenting Experiences: Identifying Problems and Expectations
• Finding Meaning in the Madness! [“Trainee Adults”]: Overview
• Taking Charge, Maintaining Perspective: Self-Perception, Mindset, Emotions and Behaviour [Parents are Adults!]
• Creating a Positive Atmosphere; Specifying Values

Week 2: The Teenage Growth Spurt

• Sharing of Parents’ Experiences
• Physical Development
• Social and Emotional Impact
• Need for Sensitivity, Guidance and Support
• Parents Are Role Models

Week 3: Intellectual Development 

• Sharing of Parents’ Experiences
• The Adult Brain Has Arrived
• Reasoning, Questioning and Challenging
• Parental Styles: Authoritarian vs. Collaborating
• Making the Best of It

Week 4: Clash of Concerns

• Identifying Parents’ Major Concerns
• Teenagers’ Concerns: Freedom, Identity, Peer Groups
• Managing the Misfit; Managing the Media
• Maintaining the Relationship: Choosing Your Battles
• Coaching the Trainee Adult

Week 5:  Communicating with Teens 

• Sharing of Parents’ Experiences
• Parents Need to Change
• Listening, Cultivating Dialogue and Empathizing
• Growing Need for Privacy and Boundaries
• Communication Styles

Week 6: Sex and BGR 

• Need For Accurate Information, Clarity About Consequences
• Culture of Openness and Understanding
• Emphasising Values vs. Moralizing in a Different World
• Establishing Ground Rules; Respect and Trust
• Recap and Wrap-Up